The Beat: Framingham's Saul Almeida aims to trap foe in MMA fight

Framingham's Saul Almeida, 'The Spider,' continues his climb up the mixed martial arts web in less than two weeks.

By Tim Whelan Jr./Special to the News

A great nickname isn’t a prerequisite to being a great fighter.

A fun one can’t hurt, though. Especially if it happens organically, as it did for Framingham’s Saul Almeida.

“My fourth or fifth fight, I won, and some of my teammates were saying, ‘You’re like a spider. People are trapped in your web,’ “ Almeida said by phone Friday. “I guess it’s that I have long arms, long legs, and am able to take down anyone at any time. It stuck, and I went with it.”

The Spider continues his climb up the mixed martial arts web in less than two weeks.

Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES) MMA 45 is scheduled for Friday, August 11, at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. The top undercard for the night is the battle for the promotion’s Interim Featherweight World Title between Almeida (19-8) and Pedro Gonzalez (11-5) of Gloucester.

It will be broadcast live nationally on AXS TV.

“It’s a big fight for me, no doubt,” said Almeida, the 28-year-old who was born in Brazil and moved to Framingham when he was eight. “The opportunity they presented, I was the guy they were looking for, so I took it.

As often happens in the MMA fraternity, Almeida and Gonzalez trained together in the past.

“He’s a tough guy, has a lot of heart,” Almeida said of Gonzalez. “He’ll come forward, he’ll pressure you, has good submissions. But it’s nothing I’m too worried about. I just can’t make any mistakes.”

In his 11th bout on a CES MMA card, Almeida is the only fighter on the Aug. 11 card with the distinction of having fought on CES MMA’s inaugural event in September of 2010. This also will be Almeida’s first time fighting coming off of his March 31 win over Josh LaBerge at CES MMA 42. Prior to that win, a submission by rear-naked choke hold in the third round, Almeida has suffered three straight defeats.

The latter two losses were not without controversy, as they were in decisions that could have (and many said should have) gone Almeida’s way.

“That was extremely satisfying, especially coming off the fights I was coming off of,” said the 6-foot-1, 155-pound Almeida. “Those last two fights were the judges’ opinions, and so many thought I had won them. This one (against LaBerge) was satisfying, especially to win by submission. It’s good to be back on the right path again.”

The almost two-year gap between MMA victories caused Almeida to look at himself and what he learned in order to get better. And while he feels he had two fights taken from him by the judges, he acknowledges it’s a matter of taking each bout into his own hands.

“I’ve learned that I always have to fight to my full potential if I hope to win,” Almeida said. “I’ve got to do what I know I can, be more aggressive, and just go for it more. If I train one way, I’ve got to fight that way, to go in there and do what I know I can do, to make sure everything plays out right.”

With a support network that includes his brother, Samuel, as well as renowned trainer Mark DellaGrotte of Sityodtong Boston in Somerville, Almeida knows he is not alone in his pursuits.

Yet, it is only him in that octagon when the bell rings.

“My team, my friends, my mom, my dad – they support me and I want to win for them,” Almeida said. “At the end of the day I want to win for me, to do it for myself and prove that I’m up there and can compete with anybody. I want to win, I want to make people proud. It’s also one-on-one, so it’s up to me.”

The Spider has an idea of what he wants to do. On August 11, he is expecting to execute the plan. And, perhaps, he will take home a title. …

Almeida’s battle is but one of eight bouts in the Twin River octagon. Also featured will be Milford fighters Kris Moutinho (4-0) and Richie Santiago (4-0).

Moutinho, a bantamweight, battles Erie, Pa., native Brandon Seyler (6-5-1). He is off to a great start as a pro with wins in all four of his bouts under the guidance of CES MMA, including an impressive unanimous decision win over seven-fight vet Lloyd Reyes at CES MMA 42.

Santiago, meanwhile, will face Queens, N.Y., vet Miguel Restrepo (4-3-1, 2 KOs). The 24-year-old Santiago has finished each of his four fights by submission, most recently at CES MMA 43 against Chad Kelly.

This is the first time each fighter will compete on national TV, and it’s fitting for the friends to be fighting on the same card. Moutinho and Santiago began training MMA together at around the same time, each winning Mass. amateur championships. After each made their professional debuts at CES 38 in September, they have fought on the same card for all but one of their bouts.

Friends since middle school, they wrestled together in high school and train together almost every day, while also hanging out outside of the sport.

Next week, we will profile Jose Campos, a 25-year-old member Framingham Fire Department who will be making his professional debut at CES MMA 45.

Tim Whelan Jr. can be reached at whelan.timothy@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @thattimwhelan.